ADDITIONAL RECORDS: From leaf mould collected in Waitakere Range, New Zealand, 7 November 1988; recovered from moss growing on wood, Waitakere Range, New Zealand, 7 November 1988; recovered from mossy soil collected in a garden, Mount Albert, Auckland, New Zealand, March 1989.

The conidiophores (Fig. 20) in this species are up to 125 µm tall by 2.5-3.0 µm wide and simple or sparingly branched. Phialides are 16.5-30 µm long by 3.0-4.0 µm at their widest point. They have a swollen base and taper to a more or less straight, narrowly cylindrical apex that is about 1.0 µm wide and straight or sometimes slightly reflexed but not nearly so markedly as most species of Rotiferophthora. Phialides occur singly, in pairs, or occasionally in whorls. Aphanophialides are up to 15 µm long and 0.8-1.6 µm wide and are cylindrical or slightly tapered towards the apex. Conidia (Fig. 19) are narrowly biconic but weakly so with somewhat flattened sides and rounded ends. They have a solitary oil droplet that is positioned centrally or slightly distal of the centre. Conidia are 6.5-7.5 µm long by 2.2-2.5 µm wide. Aleuriospores are large, thick walled, subhyaline, muriform, and 14-22 µm x 14-18 µm. They are more or less isodiametric in top view and somewhat flattened and one cell deep in side view.

HABITAT: Parasitic in bdelloid rotifers.

Conidiophora usque ad 125 µm longa x 2.5-3.0 µm lata, simplica vel exigue ramosa, hyalina, septata; phialides (13)16.5-30 µm longae x 3.0-4.0(4.4) µm latae; aphanophialides usque ad 15 µm longae x 0.8-1.6 µm latae; phialoconidia 6.5-7.5 µm longa x 2.2-2.5(28) µm lata; aleuriosporae crassitunicatae, hyalinae vel subhyalinae, muriformes, 14-22 µm x 14-18 µm.

TYPE: Slides in herbarium (OAC 10853), from soil, Opunake River Bank, New Zealand, 19 December 1988.

ADDITIONAL RECORDS: From rotting debris of moss and liverworts collected at Marguerite Track, Waitakere Range, New Zealand, 26 December 1988; from organic debris collected on the grounds of DSIR, Auckland, New Zealand, March 1989.

The conidiophores in this species (Figs. 13, 16, 18) are 30-50 µm tall by 2.2-3.5 µm wide. Sometimes conidiophores consist of only a few short cells bearing a terminal phialide and one or two lateral phialides or aphanophialides. Occasionally a lateral branch is produced, but this also consists of a single, short cell bearing one terminal phialide. Phialides are 13.5-20 µm long by 3-4 µm wide with a swollen basal portion that tapers sharply into a short reflexed tip. The tip of the phialide frequently proliferates in age to form a polyphialide (Fig. 18). Phialides are mostly solitary, sometimes in pairs, and rarely in whorls. Aphanophialides tend to be short and stubby and are up to 7 µm long and 2.5 µm wide at the base; they taper sharply along their length to a narrow, often reflexed apex. Conidia (Figs. 15, 17) are 5.0-6.0 µm by 5.0-5.5 µm and broadly reniform in face view, with a large oil droplet disposed either centrally or slightly off centre towards the distal end of the conidium. In face view, the attachment end of the conidium can be recognized, as it is a little longer and slightly narrower than the distal end. Conidia in this species sometimes germinate in situ. An extremely narrow (less than 0.5 µm) germ tube originates from the middle of the convex surface. The germ tube is straight and simple at first but becomes undulating and sparingly branched as it elongates. Aleuriospores in this species are more or less globose in general outline and 15-20 µm by 17-24 µm, with an average of four per rotifer in good cultural conditions.

HABITAT: Parasitic in bdelloid rotifers.

Conidiophora perbrevia, usque ad 30-40(60) µm longa x 2.2-3.5(4.5) µm lata, simplica vel exigue ramosa; phialides 13.5-20 µm longae x 3-4 µm latae; aphanophialides plerumque usque ad 7 µm longae x 2.5 µm latae in pane basilare, attenuatae acute usque ad apicem angustam minorem quam 1 µm latam; phialoconidia 5.0-6.0(7.0) µm x 5.0-5.5 µm, concava alte in latere uno; aleuriosporae 15-25 µm x 15-24 µm.

TYPE: Slides in herbarium (OAC 10851), from soil collected on Kiko Road Trail, Kaimanana State Forest Park, New Zealand, November 1988.

ADDITIONAL RECORDS: From debris under tree fern collected in the Waitakere Range, New Zealand, March 1989.

The conidiophores of this species (Figs. 7, 11) are relatively tall, measuring up to 200 µm tall and 2.8-3.6 µm wide. They are simple or sparingly branched, with most branches originating near the base. The phialides are long and slender, more or less cylindrical for most of their length, and taper in the upper third to a very narrow, often reflexed tip. They are 24-40 µm long by 2.5-3.5 µm wide. Occasionally the basal portion of the phialide is slightly inflated. In age, phialides proliferate at the apex to form polyphialides (Fig. 10). Aphanophialides are more or less cylindrical or slightly wider at the base and taper gradually towards the apex. They are up to 17 µm long, 1.0-1.5 µm at their widest point, and taper to a very narrow apex that may be only 0.5 µm across. Aphanophialides can also proliferate in age to produce an elongate rachis-like apex. They grow at right angles to the main conidiophores axis, but longer aphanophialides tend to be reflexed upwards as for the phialides. Conidia are elongate and more or less tooth-like (Figs. 8, 12); they are 8.4-10.8 µm long by 2.8-3.6 µm at the rounded apex. There is a slight indentation below the apex from which the conidia taper slightly to a narrow, rounded base. The conidia are often slightly bent in the lower half. Each conidium contains a large, solitary oil droplet about 1.5-1.8 µm across near the apex. Often there are one or two smaller, less refractive oil droplets closely associated with the primary droplet. In feeding studies, it was found that conidia lodged between the mouth and the mastax. They germinated from the apex to produce an elongate, filiform, germ tube that penetrated into the body tissues where it produced branching infection hyphae of turbinate cells (Fig. 9). The narrow germ tube was often much longer than observed in the other species of Rotiferophthora and was frequently many times the length of the conidium itself. The reason for such a long germ tube was not established.
When this species was first recovered in New Zealand, aleuriospores were recorded as present but were not measured. Later, when this fungus was studied in detail in Canada, aleuriospores failed to develop under the culture conditions we were using and therefore no measurements are available for this spore state.

HABITAT: Parasitic in bdelloid rotifers.

Conidiophora usque 200 µm longa x 2.8-3.6 µm lata, exigue ramosa; phialides longae et tenues, 24-40 µm longae x 2.5-3.5 µm latae, attenuatae usque ad minorem quam 1 µm; aphanophialides usque 17 µm longae x 1.0-1.5 µm latae rectae vel undatae, attenuatae usque ad minorem quam 1 µm latae in apice; conidia (7.5)8.4-10.8 µm longa x 2.8-3.5 µm lata, elongata, rotundata in apice, attenuata usque ad partem basilarem angustam et rotundatam, conidia maiora aliquando usque ad 15.5 µm longa x 3.8-4.5 µm lata. Aleuriosporae rarae.

TYPE: Slides in herbarium (OAC 10852) isolated from organic debris beneath tree fern, Mt. Egmont National Park, New Zealand, 18 December 1988.

Conidiophora anamorphae phialidicis recta vel subrecta, hyalina, simplicia vel exigue ramosa. Phialides solitariae, geminatae vel verticillatae, nascentes ex axe principale conidiophori vel ex ramulis conidiophori, aliquando attenuatae gradatim, cum parte infera typice tumida et distincta, cum parte superna attenuata anguste et reflexa frequenter juxta apicem. Phialoconidia nonseptata, hyalina, variguttata plerumque juxta finem distalem conidicum. Conidia colligentia in globis juxta apicem phialidem et comprehensa intra membranam hydrophobicam. Phialides saepe suppressae, aphanophialides substituendes. Aphanophialides teretiusculae vel subattenuatae. Muriformes sporae perdurantes quoque nascuntur, crassitunicatae, hyalinae vel subbyalinae.

TYPE SPECIES: Rotiferophthora globospora Barron.

ADDITIONAL RECORDS: From soil collected at Spragg Bush Track, Waitakere Range, New Zealand, 26 December 1988; from moss collected at Sharp Track, Waitakere Range, New Zealand, December 1988; from organic debris collected at Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Auckland, New Zealand, March 1989.

The conidiophores of this species (Figs. 1, 3, 4) are seldom more than 100 µm tall and 2.0-2.5 µm wide. They are septate, hyaline, and simple or more often with one or two lateral branches. Phialides are solitary, in pairs, or less often in groups of three. Phialides are long and slender and 14-22 µm long, with a swollen basal segment and 2.0-2.3 µm at their widest point which tapers sharply to a narrow, elongate, slightly tapered apex. The upper portion of the phialide is not markedly reflexed or undulate as in some species of the genus but tends to be curved gently upwards. Aphanophialides are common, more or less cylindrical, very narrow, and 5.5-11.0 µm long by 0.6-0.8 µm wide. The phialoconidia (Figs. 4, 6) are nonseptate, hyaline, globose, and 3.3-3.8 µm in diameter. In side view, the narrow attachment point can sometimes be seen. Aleuriospores (Fig. 2) are globose to subglobose, often irregularly lobed, thick walled, hyaline to subhyaline, muriform, and 12-16.5 by 12-18 µm. As many as 10 aleuriospores develop from each infected rotifer, with an average of between 6and7.
In shallow water (not more than a few hundred micrometres deep) most Rotiferophthora species produce aleuriospores terminally on short, unbranched hyphae. . Some hyphae grow upwardly from the infected rotifer to the surface of the water where they break through the surface and produce conidiophores, conidiogenous cells, and conidia in the air. In general, conidia are not produced under water in Rotiferophthora. Although I have sometimes observed conidiophores and conidia developing under water, it is possible that the conidiophores were initiated in air prior to submersion. In R. globospora, conidiophores were never observed under water, but in deeper water (several millimetres) a single hypha frequently grew upwards, eventually broke through to the air, and produced a solitary conidiophore. Several such hyphae were observed to be nearly 1000 µm long.
Observations showed that as for other species of Rotiferophthora, the conidia of the parasite were ingested and lodged in the alimentary tract between the mouth and the mastax. After lodging, the conidia germinated to produce an extremely narrow germination tube (Fig. 5) that penetrated into the soft interior of the rotifer where it broadened to produce the lobed, branching assimilative hyphae.

HABITAT: Parasitic in bdelloid rotifers.

Conidiophora brevia, hyalina, usque ad 100 µm alta x 2.0-2.2(2.5) µm lata, simplica vel exigue ramosa; phialides solitariae vel geminatae, verticillatae infrequenter, 14-17(22) µm longae x 2.0-2.3(2.5) µm catae, cum parte basilari tumida et attenuata gradatim usque ad angustum apicem cylindricum et elongatum; aphanophialides frequenter, teretiusculae, 5.5-11 µm longae x 0.6-0.8 µm catae; phialoconidia globosa 3.3-3.6(3.8) µm in diametro; aleuriosporae globosae vel subglobosae, lobatae irregulariter, 12-16.5 x 12-18.0 µm.

TYPE: Slides in herbarium (OAC 10850), isolated from mossy soil, Castle Rock Trail, Coromandel, New Zealand, 15 November 1988.